Menopause is the transition from the reproductive stage to the non-reproductive stage of a woman's life and is characterized primarily by the cessation of menstruation. At this stage, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and production of most of their estrogen. Peri-menopause or “menopause transition” can begin 8 to 10 years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. It usually starts in a woman's 40s, but can start in the 30s as well. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last 1 to 2 years of peri-menopause, the drop in estrogen accelerates. At this stage, many women can experience menopause symptoms. Post-menopause is the years after menopause. During this stage, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, can ease for most women but still occur.
The discomforts due to the hormonal variations experienced during menstruation, stage of approaching menopause or during menopause, are often referred to as postmenopausal syndrome or PMS. Menopausal symptoms and problems due to hormonal imbalance and nutritional deficiency arise and are associated with a variety of symptoms. It is not a disease, but a stage of life which necessitates proper attention and nutrition. The intensity of the symptoms vary amongst individuals and generally include aches, hot flashes, rapid heartbeats, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, nervousness, high levels of stress, extreme sweating, headaches, frequent urination, early wakening, vaginal dryness, mood swings, depression, dizziness, cardiac symptoms and various physiological changes leading to poor quality of life (Santoro et al., 2015).
Low estradiol levels, anemia and rise in cholesterol and triglyceride levels are also associated with PMS conditions. Menopause is also characterized by osteoporosis or loss of bone density, resulting in increased bone fractures and vertebral column collapse due to low serum calcium levels. In the long run, women become susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and cancer due to falling levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones.
Since menopause is associated with a state of hypoestrogenism, conventional treatments for treating menopausal symptoms include pharmaceutical drugs and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Pharmaceutical drugs alleviate discomfort caused by menopausal symptoms but these are known to cause mild or severe side-effects. The drugs also provide short-term relief without any benefits lasting for long time. HRT consists of administering either estrogen hormone, or estrogen hormone in combination with progesterone hormone to artificially boost hormone levels. However, HRT may have undesirable side effects, such as headache, diarrhea, nervousness, and is associated with risks of developing cancers (breast and uterine) and cardiovascular disease. HRT provides only a short-term relief and is expensive.
Complementary and alternative therapies and nutraceutical supplementation with safe natural agents, especially from herbs, is a widely accepted practice all over the world. Their use as natural hormonal agents is preferred as they are considered safe and harmonious with the values, beliefs and life styles of people. These agents also effectively try to bridge the gap in heightened nutritional and hormonal requirements of a woman during this phase and help in the metabolism and absorption of the essential nutrients into the body. Such agents, generally referred to as plant phytoestrogens appear to have both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects and are suitable candidates for selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) instead of hormone replacement therapy. Presently, various botanicals are utilized for treating menopausal symptoms in women.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,630 describes a herbal compound for relief of PMS through menopausal symptoms comprising red raspberry, black cohosh, capsicum, cascara sagrada, damiana, ginger, valerian and a binding agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,307 describes a composition having at least one herbal compound and at least one homeopathic drug that is useful for treating symptoms associated with menopause. The homeopathic drug is selected from the group consisting of Amyl nitrosum, Lachesis muta and Sanguinaria canadensis and the herbal component comprises Cimicifuga racemosa. 
KR101348471 (B1) describes a composition containing a Larrea cuneifolia Cay. extract to obtain phytoestrogen compounds, which effectively prevents, treats, and relieves menopausal symptom including hot flashes, osteoporosis, thrombosis, and atrophic vaginitis.
US20100040708 describes a herbal composition for treating menopausal symptoms in a woman comprising yarrow, damiana, skullcap, chaste tree berry, wild yam, corn silk, cramp bark, bloodroot, fenugreek, feverfew, cardamom and Panax ginseng. 
Most herbal compositions and compositions of traditional medicine systems usually treat only a few of the menopausal symptoms, and are incapable of providing relief from most or all of the menopausal symptoms. Further, as the conventional herbal compositions include many wild collected herbs in powder form which usually have different levels of bioactive compounds and contaminants like heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, etc., they are difficult to standardize. Post harvesting operations such as drying of these herbals usually does not have any uniform procedures, which affect the phytochemical composition and microbial load with unhealthy effects. The conventional compositions also suffer from the problem of requirement of huge volumes of the raw materials to achieve the desired therapeutic effective amount and lack in ease of storage and handling. Sometimes the problem of identifying and/or accessing the exotic, unfamiliar or unconventional raw ingredients, plants/herbs, becomes a tedious and cumbersome procedure. The problems often culminate towards less patient compliance and often deter the patient from pursuing effective and safe alternative therapies.
Accordingly, there exists an urgent need for a composition that is primarily of edible plant origin preferably from a well-known food component having the history of and safe consumption for centuries. Possibility of organic cultivation and known post-harvest operations such raw materials will add the value of the composition since it can be produced with full traceability in organic quality. Such composition from food components that provide effective management of menopausal symptoms while obviating the drawbacks of conventional therapies of HRT and pharmaceutical drugs is of great significance.